What was the first motivation why Zabala Innovation decided to join CreaSus?
Zabala Innovation has a long history of supporting organisations in their innovation journey. This includes aligning organisations´ vision, mission and goals with European policies and initiatives in a wide variety of fields. The European Green Deal, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) or the related European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are examples of these forward-looking pathways towards more liveable and just societies. Within this context, at Zabala we believe that we could bring valuable experience to the table by collecting EU-wide sustainable practices that could be streamlines and integrated in CCSIs strategic planning. Zabala was particularly interested in being able to apply this vision of sustainability in a sector as diverse as culture. In that sense, being part of a project with such a clear impact on the CCSIs and with such a complete consortium encouraged us to take the decision to be part of the project.
From your experience, what are the current barriers and/or challenges for CCSIs to embed sustainability in their business models?
The very fragmented and very particular characterisation of CCSIs means that industries and sectors have very different dynamics and practices. Likewise, entities of different sizes and objectives can be identified. These two issues, the particularity of each sector and the type of entity, raise the need to generate a reference framework that is useful and sufficiently flexible for all CCSIs.
From your experience, what are the current opportunities for CCSIs to embed sustainability in their business models?
CCSIs have several opportunities to include sustainability in their business models (ESG), as more and more initiatives such as CreaSus allow the measurement of sustainability, as well as offering ideas for the implementation of actions. In addition, there are more and more funding opportunities that allow these mostly small and specific entities to access resources to build their pathway towards sustainability.
From your experience, what are some best practices and good examples of sustainability implementation in the cultural and creative sector?
There are many, but I would like to name the introduction of environmental criteria for the generation of material products and, of course, the use of certifications that make it possible to know which entities are committed to these environmental objectives. In terms of governance, the cultural sector, compared to other sectors, is at the forefront of internal inclusion and diversity. In terms of social impact, the cultural sector is identified as having a high level of participation and commitment from various social groups, as its objectives include the dissemination of culture and social engagement.
How does sustainability innovation become a competitive advantage?
Internalising sustainability in the organisation’s strategy and operations allows organisations to differentiate themselves and develop a brand related to sustainability. This brand will make it possible to generate a reputation, which, although difficult to calculate in the short term and above all in economic terms, makes it possible to create synergies with other entities and attract talent.
What is the real added value of the CreaSus project?
CreaSus is a major innovation in terms of sustainability in CCSIs, as it will offer a tool for all sectors, regardless of the type and size of the entities, to identify their status in relation to the three pillars of sustainability (ESG), in addition to offering actions that allow for personalised transformation plans and funding opportunities, as well as business models that serve as a reference to start on the path towards sustainability. It is an innovation in two ways: on the one hand, it offers an umbrella framework for all CCSIs, and on the other hand, because of its structure and objective – there is no other holistic (ESG) tool available that is so comprehensive and accompanies CCSIs on their path to sustainable transition.
What are the best insights that you have gotten until now from the CreaSus project?
It is worth highlighting the holistic view where different dimensions of sustainability are considered, beyond the environmental one, which is usually prioritised over the rest. CreaSus, also taking advantage of the catalytic potential of the CCSIs in terms of innovation in governance and social mobilisation, proposes a holistic and in-depth framework for measuring the environmental, governance, and social pillars.
